


high score (100 points)

by tostitos



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, First Dates, First Meetings, Fluff, M/M, Online Dating, Texting, Tinder, despite my crappy summary, it's v light and cute, you should read it lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 01:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12048777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tostitos/pseuds/tostitos
Summary: In which Taeyong matches with Dongyoung on Tinder but Dongyoung says he needs to earn fifty points before they can go on a date. Dongyoung just so happens to be really fickle and his point system doesn't make any sense but Taeyong tries to charm him anyway.(Spoiler alert: He succeeds).





	high score (100 points)

**Author's Note:**

> the [tinder template](http://chaoticresources.tumblr.com/post/148305705885/helpersofindie-tinder-template-hey-guys-i)
> 
> since this is doyoung's pov, his messages are on the right and tae's are on the left. i'm too lazy to retype their names every time.
> 
> also sorry the text in the pics is the size of literal ants. i can type it under the pics if that's better for anyone

 

**[TAEYONG]**

**Sept 6, 2017 8:21 PM**

i don't think anyone's going to buy what you're selling with those reviews

i would say it's all slander but then i'd be lying

and you matched with me so what's your point?

fair enough

although i never said i was interested in making a purchase

then why are you wasting my time

i could be finding someone to love me despite my innumerable flaws

sorry i'm not the biggest fan of online shopping

i like to try the product out first

i'll give you points for that but you do realize this is 2017 and no one does that anymore right

next you'll be telling me you read the newspaper while listening to 1960s records and drinking brandy

well

lmao shut up

i'm unmatching you

what happened to my points?

revoked

obviously

that's not fair

life isn't fair

but we learn to suck it up

wow

yeah

 

 

 **Sept 8, 2017, 12:34 PM**

what's your last name?

lee??

i can't fucking believe you changed your bio to that lee taeyong

1) because you can't write a review of something you've never tried and

dongyoung just say you're flattered lol

...

whatever

you don't know me

but i can get to know you

if i'm allowed to try the product for a couple hours

...

i'm very picky about who gets a free trial

you'll have to get 50 points for me to agree

okay

how many do i have now?

48

sorry

that was a typo

18

**Sept 9, 2017, 1:02 PM**

 not going to bump it down to 8?

don't test me lee taeyong

*puts hands up in surrender*

15 points

:(

you did this to yourself

  **Sept 11, 2017 10:55 PM**

so how was your day?

eh it was alright

accidentally slept through my 8 am but i nabbed some free pizza from some event they were doing in A hall

you?

nicer than i thought it'd be

brought my dog to the pet a dog in the park thing and he didn't get too anxious

so that was nice

aw that's cute

i don't think i've ever been to one of the petting nights

do you have pictures?

ha do i have pictures he asks

check instagram

do i look like i know your instagram

it's linked to my profile doofus

wow interesting attitude for someone trying to take me on a date with 15 points

let's make that 10 points

  **Sept 11, 2017, 11:27 PM**

how many of my pics are you going to like?

it's not about you

it's about the pups

what about that selfie you just liked

my finger slipped

don't think too much of it

yeah okay

aaah the ones at the dog cafe are super cute

+20 points

don't sass me taeyong -20 points

sigh

you're pretty good at photography btw

thanks i'm a photo minor

oh really? that's cool

what's your major?

international relations

i can see it

are you pre law too

you have a way of getting under people's skin

you really don't want to go on this date, do you

it was a compliment

good night taeyong i have to go tally up your points

or lack thereof :)

good night :)

  **Sept 14, 2017, 10:34 AM**

 update: 25 points

  **Sept 16, 2017, 11:18 AM**

where'd the extra 15 points come from?

i was in a good mood

i'll take it

so what's on the agenda on this lovely saturday?

i actually have a date

a what

date??

i'm not looking forward to it at all though

he's actually kind of conceited and i don't like anyone who takes themselves too seriously

oh

well

have fun

trust me i won't

  **Sept 20, 2017, 4:21 PM**

taeyong

hey what's up

what do you mean ‘hey what's up’ i haven't heard from you in forever

what are you going to do about these 3 points???

how was your date?

lame

we went out for lunch and he just played puzzles and dragons on his phone the entire time and kept calling me ugly

:/

wtf what an asshole

right???

i couldn't have asked for a shittier best friend

wait what

best friend??

you went out with your best friend?

yup

not like someone you're actually interested in

i happen to recall waiting for someone to reach 50 points for a free trial

what

do you even like me?

tbh taeyong you've had 50 points since day 1

i was wondering how long it'd be before you realized i was messing with you

i thought it was obvious when i took away points for no reason lol

but you were so genuine about getting them

it was cute

i don't know what to say

how about dongyoung let me take you on a date to [insert location here]?

i can't believe i fell for that. i feel really dumb

like i said

it was cute

so

uh

what are you doing this friday evening?

i don't know

i might have a date

 (*＾▽＾)／

 

Dongyoung doesn’t want to admit the number of times he’s checked his phone during the ten minute subway ride and the subsequent ten minute walk because then it’ll seem like he’s nervous and he’s not.

As the bowling alley looms bigger and bigger as he approaches it, Dongyoung wipes sweaty palms on the front of his grey jeans. They leave damp prints in the light denim and he hopes they fade before he reaches the doors.

Maybe he’s a little nervous.

He’s had Tinder for a while but he only uses it as an ego booster to see how many people find him attractive enough to swipe right on. Most messages he doesn’t bother to open. The ones he does are usually so uninspiring that he either never responds or gets bored within a few exchanges. He’s not averse to one night stands — which is all anyone ever wants — but if he’s going to hop in bed with someone, he at least wants them to be able to come up with something better than ‘ _show me your ass ;P_ ’ or ‘ _do you work at a hot dog cart because you know how to make a wiener stand_.’

But he’s equipped to handle people like that. What he isn’t prepared for is someone actually kind of charming.

And now he’s walking through the expansive parking lot of the downtown bowling alley and praying Taeyong isn’t catfishing him. Because that would be just his luck.

There’s no one waiting outside so Dongyoung walks into the bowling alley and is greeted with the booming sound of balls cracking against pins. It’s pretty busy on a Friday evening — which is surprising because Dongyoung didn’t know people under the age of sixty-five still bowl.

Wandering closer to the reception, he glances around the large building and then checks his phone for new messages since Taeyong said he was already there.

Nothing.

“Dongyoung?”

Looking up from his phone, Dongyoung follows the voice to Taeyong jogging up to him and his stomach does that annoying flip-floppy thing.

Taeyong is every bit of attractive as he was in the pictures, all stone sculpture levels of beautiful bone structure, sweet chocolate brown eyes, and an adorably shy smile. Considering they’re at a bowling alley, he’s dressed casually in a loose, tan knit sweater and black jeans with a red beanie pulled over his head. He lifts his hand in a small wave before nervously adjusting his bangs.

“Hey. I meant to wait for you outside but I kind of had to, uh…stress pee,” he says, ending his words with an awkward laugh.

Dongyoung probably wouldn’t have told his date that, and while a part of him wants to tell Taeyong that was too much information, another finds it cute that the other man is just as nervous as he is. He fiddles with the end of the sleeve of his hoodie — the one he stole from Johnny back when they were roommates and Dongyoung claimed anything left on his side of the room became his property — and returns Taeyong’s smile. “It happens to the best of us. And I just walked in so I wasn’t waiting.”

Taeyong nods. “I reserved us a lane so…” He motions toward the counter where a sleepy older man is standing with one hand and slips the other into his front pocket.

Dongyoung is impressed. He doesn’t know if he’s ever been on a date where someone has prepared in advance. Walking in, he half expected for them to need to go somewhere else with how packed the place is. But this is the real deal.

Taeyong gets their lane turned on and then walks them over to the shoe rental, a light hand spread across Dongyoung’s mid-back that makes the younger man’s stomach flip again. As they wait for the attendant to bring them the correct sized shoes, Taeyong clears his throat.

“I hope you don’t mind getting your ass whooped on the first date.” He doesn’t sound as confident as he should for such a rude provocation, but Dongyoung still reacts accordingly.

“ _Ha_. I bet you can’t even get fifty points.” Dongyoung looks over at Taeyong with a grin and chirps out a bright laugh when he’s pushed.

 

“Stopstopstopstopstopstopstop,” Dongyoung chants, his jaw dropping when Taeyong’s purple, fourteen pound ball hits the pins head on. The overhead screen plays a cartoon of all the pins falling over, ending in a bright red bubble-lettered ‘STRIKE!!!’.

His eyes fall to their scoreboard. They’re only on the fifth frame but Taeyong has rolled strikes for the last three.

Taeyong has the nerve to do a victory dance as he walks back over to where Dongyoung is standing by the ball return, goopy cheese-covered nachos forgotten in his hand.

“You’re cheating. You’ve rigged the pins,” Dongyoung accuses, narrowing his eyes at his date.

With a smug smirk, Taeyong plucks a nacho from the paper boat they’re in. “You should add ‘bad at bowling’ to your list of reviews,” he says, popping the nacho into his mouth.

“I am not _bad at bowling_. Your score is inflated because you’re _cheating_.” He cradles his nachos to his chest when Taeyong tries to take another one.

“Are you going to bowl while holding your chips?” Taeyong snorts, taking a seat on one of the chairs behind their lane.

Dongyoung turns up his nose. “Yes.” He quickly puts them down, though — but only because he’s afraid of spilling them everywhere! — and pouts when Taeyong immediately goes for them but doesn’t say anything, not actually bothered.

Turning his twelve pound in his hands and slipping his fingers into the holes, Dongyoung slides up to the lane. His goal is to make it through without an accidental gutter ball and so far he’s doing well. He even picked up a spare in the last frame.

The ball veers off course as soon as it leaves his hand, swerving to the right instead of going down the center. Dongyoung leans forward more and more as it rolls toward the pins. “Just one, just one, just one,” he mumbles under his breath, hoping that’ll be enough for the bowling gods to not damn him with a gutter ball. It hits three and Dongyoung applauds himself.

Taeyong is applauding him too when he turns around.

“Don’t sass me, Lee Taeyong,” Dongyoung huffs as he slides into the seat next to his date.

Taeyong laughs and holds up a nacho. Dongyoung stares at it for a moment before he realizes Taeyong is offering to feed him and a blush colors his cheeks a springtime pink as he accepts the offer.

This is seriously the real deal.

Dongyoung doesn’t know the last time he’s genuinely had fun on a date. (He also doesn’t remember the last time he’s been on a date but that’s largely irrelevant).

After Dongyoung rolls for a second time, knocking down another two pins, they take a small break to finish off the nachos and get to know each other better.

“I was born here,” Taeyong says after learning Dongyoung moved to the States when he was twelve. “Was it hard just packing up your life to come here?”

Dongyoung bites into a nacho and then swipes his tongue over his lips to catch a stray bit of cheese. He wipes his lips with a finger too, just to be sure. “Well, yeah. My parents were pretty alright at English and they made me study more before we came, but that didn’t mean I was capable of getting through life like I used to. But I settled, eventually. Do you speak Korean?”

“Technically? I was raised bilingual but my parents mostly speak English in the house so I’m not as good as I could be.”

Nodding, Dongyoung finishes off the chip in his grasp. “Try it. With me,” he says as he chews.

“Right now?” Taeyong blinks at him.

Dongyoung rolls his eyes. “No, when the aliens come,” he snarks, switching over to his native language. “Yes, right now.”

Suddenly the room goes dark and the disco ball in the center of the ceiling starts to spin.

Dongyoung looks away from Taeyong as all of the lanes are reset to ten pins and one of the staff walks out onto the center lane with a microphone. Music that reminds Dongyoung of an 80s roller rink plays through the speakers.

“It’s time for Bowl-A-Rama!” the attendant announces, sounding only vaguely excited. “For the prize of a free game, we’re having a competition for the best bowler. One shot. Get a strike and you win!”

Turning around to Taeyong with a nacho chip between his lips, about to bite down, Dongyoung raises an eyebrow at him. “So you’re going to win this for me, yes?”

Taeyong snorts and pops the chip into his mouth. “I don’t do well under pressure,” he says, acquiescing to Dongyoung’s wish for him to speak Korean. And despite what he said about pressure, he still stands and wipes his hands on the front of his pants before walking to where their balls are.

When all of the challengers are ready, the attendant walks off lane 13 and gives them the cue to bowl. Before Taeyong throws, he glances back at Dongyoung over his shoulder and winks at him.

He’s rude. The worst. Dongyoung can’t believe he’s starting to like such an awful person.

This would be one of those times where the ball looks like it’s going for a strike but then, in the end, there’s still one pin left standing. And it’s kind of like that, nine of the pins going straight down, but the last pin wobbles and wobbles and falls over a second before Dongyoung gets annoyed at the suspense.

He doesn’t jump up and cheer, but he does grin so wide his face feels like it’s splitting apart. Taeyong is mirroring his grin when he turns around and Dongyoung kind of wants to kiss him.

Before he can do anything with that thought, the staff member from before walks up to Taeyong and brings him over to where a middle aged woman, who must have also rolled a strike, is waiting. While they talk about whatever they have to talk about, Dongyoung finishes off the last three nachos and gets up to toss the empty paper container away.

When he returns, Taeyong is sitting there all handsome and proud and handsome.

“I thought you didn’t do well under pressure,” Dongyoung teases, sliding into the seat next to him.

Taeyong shrugs. “Maybe how much I wanted to impress you beat out how bad I usually am in competitions.” He has a shy smile on his face and the beginnings of a blush tinting his cheeks.

With pink cheeks of his own, Dongyoung leans in and sweetly presses his lips to Taeyong’s cheek. “And impressed, I am.”

 

Taeyong is invigorated after that; he finishes the last five frames with no less than seven points each and rolls two strikes in frame ten. Dongyoung rolls straight gutter balls in frames seven and eight and ends up with a total score of 54 to Taeyong’s 147.

“I hate bowling,” Dongyoung mutters as he unbuckles the uncomfortable bowling shoes and pulls them off his feet.

“You’re only saying that because you lost so spectacularly.” Taeyong laughs, already shoving his feet back into his Nikes.

“No,” Dongyoung elongates the word. “I’m saying it because I hate bowling. My arms are going to be so sore tomorrow.” He pulls over his high tops and puts them on.

Hands fall on his shoulders and he jumps, looking up at Taeyong.

"Then call me. I'll take responsibility and give you a massage." Digging his palms into Dongyoung’s shoulders, Taeyong lightly massages the younger man.

"Do _not_ try to put the moves on me while I'm complaining." Dongyoung frowns exaggeratedly to undermine the way his heart stutters.

Taeyong laughs, gliding his hands over the round curve of Dongyoung's shoulders and squeezing gently before letting go. "Can I 'put the moves on' you when you're not?"

Picking up the bowling shoes before standing, Dongyoung raises an eyebrow at Taeyong. "Who says you'll have the chance? This is just a free trial after all."

Sucking his teeth, Taeyong whirls around and walks backwards toward the shoe rental. "And if I'm considering upgrading to the real thing? Do I have to get another fifty points for that, too?"

Dongyoung quickens his pace to match the older man's and walks alongside him to close their arms brush with every step. "Of course not," he says with a giggle, leaning down to then whisper in Taeyong’s ear.

 

"You have to get one hundred points."


End file.
